The Story is Never Finished
by VanillaAshes
Summary: This story is going to be a compilation of one-shots written for the Houses Competition, supporting, HUFFLEPUFF! Chapter 5: Molly was always close to her brothers, Fabian and Gideon. Even though they chose separate paths, they were never far from each other to help when needed. C8: Hermione's feelings after she broke up. C9: Percy escaping the family pressures of being a Weasley.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello!**

 **This story is going to be a compilation of one-shots written for the Houses Competition, supporting, HUFFLEPUFF!**

 **Written for the Practice Round.**

 **Category: Drabble.**

 **Prompt: Professor Snape.**

 **Word Count: 334**

 **Summary: Severus Snape reflects on the mistakes he made and how it led him to who he is.**

* * *

Severus Snape regretted a lot of the things he had done; some he had done years ago, others as recently as a few days ago. He had lost everybody he had ever cared for. He wasn't sure which was worse, Lily never speaking again, or him being the reason she had just been killed.

It turned out that once you made a bad decision, it would follow and haunt you for life.

Severus remembered seeing her lying there, unmoving... dead. Her son crying for comfort in the cot. The cries seemed like a reflection of his own mind as he bent down and held the only good thing he used to have in his life. Lily. His Lily. His first and only true friend.

When he finally let her go, he looked at her son, the familiar green eyes and felt the pit of his stomach drop even further. Out of all the things he had done, forcing Lily's child to go on without her was probably the worst. He would never remember the bright smile or cheerful laugh of her.

Standing up and towering over the one-year-old, he stroked one long finger over the boys cheek. Even at such a young age, he looked disgustingly like his father. Part of him couldn't help but blame _James Potter_ for her death, too.

Returning to Dumbledore had been a difficult decision, he failed to protect Lily, but couldn't blame him. All he knew, was that he would never forgive Voldemort for killing her.

That is what brought Severus to the first new chapter of his life. He buttoned up his black robes and felt more unprepared than he ever had before. He would have been better at Defence Against the Dark Arts, but Dumbledore disagreed.

"Snape," one of the students started, about to ask a question.

"That's Professor Snape," he replied sharply. The whole classroom instantly fell silent.

The instant silence made him feel respected and feared; this was something he could get used to.

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 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Revealing A Secret

**House: Hufflepuff**

 **Category: Themed**

 **Theme: Revealing a secret**

 **Prompt: Brother**

 **Word count: 859**

 **Summary/Comment: Okay, so, I am really bad at writing Ginny, so, I thought I'd give it a go for the Practice Round of the Houses Competition! It's a great way for practice! I hope you enjoyed it!**

* * *

Ginny bit her lip in anticipation as she paced back and forth. She wasn't usually the type of person who got nervous about telling somebody something but… she really, really, wanted Charlie to approve.

She regretted keeping this a secret from him. She hoped she could just ignore it, however, the longer this was hidden from him, the worse it got. If she was honest with herself, she hoped that one of her other brothers would have told him, or even her parents! But, nope, the one time she doesn't want them to keep her secret, is the time they do. Typical.

Taking in a deep breath, she stepped towards the couch and sat down. Only to stand up seconds later to resume her pacing. She just couldn't settle!

A noise outside of the burrow made excitement fill her as she walked to the window. He was here! Finally!

Forgetting her nervousness, she rushed out of the door and wrapped her arms around her older brother - her favourite brother, but she definitely had to keep that a secret! "You're here!" She announced.

Charlie chuckled, wrapping his arms around her before spinning them both around. "You've grown so much!" He exclaimed endearingly.

After a few minutes, they finally released each other, with Charlie looking at her up and down. Shaking his head in disbelief.

"I haven't changed that much, Charlie! I only saw you…" she paused in thought, "last year."

"16 months," Charlie correctly before picking up his previously discarded belongings and grabbing his broom.

Ginny rolled her eyes at the broom; he was a typical Weasley. Charlie had elected to fly all the way home, even though the floo was clearly faster and safer. Thankfully, he hadn't taken the journey all in one day - that was probably impossible - and had taken several stops along the way, staying overnight with some friends. And he had a lot of friends.

Charlie walked ahead of her, looking around as he entered the house; his childhood home. "Where is everybody? They were expecting me half an hour ago."

With those words, everything on Ginny's mind had come rushing back. And those extra 36 minutes had nearly killed her with anticipation and nervousness. "I ask them to give us some time alone," she informed him, closing the door behind her. They only had 20 minutes left. Their mother would only allow an hour - apparently, she missed her baby boy too much. And Ginny had already wasted 4 minutes greeting him.

Charlie turned his attention to her, a puzzled expression on his featured - but she could easily see the worry too. "What's going on? Are you alright, Gin?"

Ginny took a breath. She was just going to get this out. Straight to the point. No messing about. "Well… you and I have always been really close, even though there are years between us. You were more like a cool uncle than an annoying brother… I always expected to tell you everything first, and…"

"Gin."

"It just didn't make sense to tell you through a letter! It was too important… and there was too much to say…"

"Ginny…"

"First, I need to start with how this all…"

"GINNY!" Charlie exclaimed, this time gaining her attention. "What is it?"

Ginny looked at him, she knew she was overthinking this, and making it worse by not just telling him. "So… you know how Harry and I are dating?" He nodded. "We'll, we've been engaged for five months now."

Charlie raised an eyebrow at her. "Five months?" He asked shocked, but a smile on his face. "That's great! I…"

"Wait… that's not all," she said, interrupting him. "And this is something that only, Harry, Hermione, and I know…"

Ginny paused, waiting for him to say something, but he remained silent. For some reason, that made her even more nervous. What if he reacted badly? He had barely met Harry, and he had set views.

Taking a breath, she knew she couldn't keep quiet for ever. They were going to find out sooner or later. "I'm…"

"Pregnant," he guessed.

Ginny almost choked on the air she was breathing. "What? No! I'm not pregnant!"

Charlie let out a sigh in relief. "I really thought that was where you were going!"

A laugh left her lips, one which he joined in on. "I've barely graduated Hogwarts! No… I've accepted the Quidditch offer… I'm going to play professionally."

And there was the reaction she expected. Charlie, even though he loved Quidditch, didn't like the idea of any of his family going professionally. Especially, his little baby sister. He always said it was too dangerous, which was ridiculous because he worked with Dragons.

Charlie was the only member of her family who wouldn't instantly celebrate. He was also the only one who didn't know she was in the running for it.

She watched as he took in a deep breath, the second ticking by loudly. Eventually, he smiled, it was only slightly forced.

"Congratulations, Gin. You're going to be the best," he said, pulling her into a tighter, more protective hug than before.

Ginny let herself sink against him, the excitement filling her again.


	3. The Long Hug

**A/N: A little drabble! I had this idea for a different prompt (saying goodbye) but didn't have time to write it! So, instead, I decided to incorporate it with this prompt instead (mainly because my ideas were awful).**

 **House: Hufflepuff**

 **Category: Drabble**

 **Prompt: The long hug**

 **Word Count: 702**

 **Beta: Laura Ashes**

* * *

Remus waited until he was alone before allowing himself to break down. He didn't have many great friends, and in his heart, still only had three. James, Sirius, and even Peter. They were his family. They helped him when he was at his lowest and he just could not fully comprehend that they were all gone.

Sure, Peter was still alive, but he stopped being family the second he turned his back on them. The worst part about it, though, was that if Peter came back… Remus would accept him, he was family, after all.

He had managed to keep himself together when Sirius died; when his friend's body was pulled into the arch and he was lost forever. But that was only because he had Harry to think about. The only thing left which truly represented the happiest time in his life.

As he walked into his apartment, he felt his knees buckle but refused to fall. Each step was agony, all he wanted was to curl up beside his friends and die with them. But he had to keep going, if not for himself, but for Harry, and for Tonks.

Finally, after what felt like days, he reached his wardrobe. He allowed himself to fall down before reaching for a small box.

Tears were freely coming down his cheeks, but he didn't care. There was nobody else here anyway, not that it would make a difference right now. He was too distraught for anybody's presence to make a difference. It was time he truly allowed himself to mourn.

He pulled out four keyrings, he hadn't looked at them in a really long time as it was Peter who had brought them, he couldn't bare to think about the memories that went along with them. Each keyring represented one of them.

Holding the dog keyring the tightest, he decided he needed to say goodbye now. There may not be another opportunity - there was no body to bury after all. Everything about Sirius had gone in a moment.

"Sirius…" Remus choked out. He hadn't realised how truly upset he would sound until this moment. How feeble his voice was. A small smile tugged at his lips as he could imagine Sirius making fun of him for it - he was always making jokes. Even after 12 years in Azkaban, in hell, he still joked around. Not as much as he used to, but, he was still the same old Sirius.

Wiping away his tears, he knew he needed to continue. "Sirius. You were a dick. An arrogant, full-of-yourself, self-absorbed… Jerk. And I loved you for that. You welcomed me as a friend, accepted me as a werewolf, and treated me as family."

A shaky breath left him, but he was pulling himself back together. He had to do this. "I will never forget the few times I managed to actually prank you, though… I bet half of them you let me. I am pretty sure you liked walking around with your hair dyed pink, we both knew that you knew the reversal spell. After all, you had used it a hundred times before."

Remus chuckled to himself. He almost stopped when he heard the front door open - Tonks must be back. "I love you, man. Promise me one thing… give James and Lily a hug from me. But don't wait around for me… we all know I was the smart one. I'm a survivor," the last sentence came out as a whisper.

He felt arms come around him in a comforting hug. Without resistance, he leant back against her, allowing her to take his weight.

Tonks didn't say anything, just held him for what felt like the longest hug he'd ever had. Eventually, though, he turned his attention up to her.

"Keyrings," he said, holding them out to show her them.

Tonks looked at them. "Keyrings," she repeated, understanding the importance.

* * *

Remus was the first one to move, turning around as she released him. He paused at the watery eyes of Tonks; she had lost her cousin, as he lost his friend - no, brother. "Come here," he said, being the one to take her into his arms this time.

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 **Thank you for reading!**


	4. Rejection

House: Hufflepuff

Category: Themed (Rejection)

Prompt: Acceptance

Word Count: 775

Summary: Draco Malfoy struggles with his son being rejected.

Draco Malfoy wasn't angered by most things. He didn't care about the prejudice against him, or the names that he's called due to his past. They could put him in the newspaper every week about how he is trying to bring back the Dark Lord, or is kidnapping muggle for torture. Anything they write about him, or do to him, he didn't care.

He had a small reserve of how much they could say about his wife, Astoria. And even less control when anything was said about, or affected, his son, Scorpius.

Thankfully, it appeared that everybody was too busy when Scorpius was born to make up rumours. That was due to Potter having his second son; he never thought he'd be so happy with his former enemy having children.

Unfortunately, as the years went on, and Scorpius grew older, he wasn't as lucky. Draco remembered his parents scheduling playdates for him; usually with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy. He remembered how much he loved them, having the chance to play with other children his own age, and knowing they'd go to the same school as him.

He hadn't been able to do this for Scorpius.

Most the population doesn't want their children near him because of the Malfoy association with The Dark Lord, and Death Eaters. Other's felt like he was now weak, or a traitor to the purebloods because he hadn't spoken up against any muggleborn laws - where his father always had.

He was hated for being a Malfoy, and hated for not acting like a traditional Malfoy. It was a cruel circle. And as an extension, his son was already being treated differently; already being rejected.

It angered Draco to no end. The amount of excuses Wizards had for not being able to set up a playdate _ever_ was ludacris. Even when they initial agreed, something always seemed to come up. He had taken to not telling Scorpius the plans anymore, he didn't want him to feel rejected or upset about a new potential friend not coming. It arose questions that Draco couldn't answer.

Draco was almost tempted to contact Potter, Weasley, Granger, to arrange a playdate; they had children the same age. But, he didn't think he could stand another rejection. Especially, not like this. When he would have to scope down to contacting those he openly showed hate for in the past. No doubt, they had heard of his letters to others.

"Daddy?" his six-year-old interrupted, stepping into his office as he rubbed his eyes.

"You're supposed to be asleep, Scorpius," Draco said smoothly, standing up and walking to him.

When Scorpius raised his arms, Draco picked him up and headed back to his room. "I woke up and couldn't sleep again... and wanted to see you."

"Why couldn't you get back to sleep?" he inquired gently.

Scorpius shrugged. "Can I sleep with you and Mummy tonight?"

Draco had only allowed Scorpius to crawl into bed with him and Astoria occasionally, but, Scorpius had been asking for that a lot lately. Unfortunately, they'd decided that they'd be firm and say no now. "Not tonight, you have your own bed," he said with a small level of excitement. "It looks really comfortable," he added as he walked into the room and sat down on the bed.

"Can you sleep in with me then?"

Draco smiled fondly at the attempt; Scorpius was a clever little boy. "No, you have to sleep on your own. Good night."

Scorpius remained holding onto him for a few minutes before finally letting go when Draco didn't give in - not that he usually gave in. There was no words spoken. Scorpius sighed as he released him before climbing back under his covers. "Night, Daddy."

"Good night, Son."

When he walked back into his office, he decided that he was going to risk another rejection if it meant a chance for Scorpius to have a friend his own age. Sitting down at his desk and picking up his quill, Draco wrote a letter to his former classmate.

LINE

Draco wasn't surprised often these days. But, trust it to be Potter who surprised him by accepting his play date request. What was more, was that Potter invited him over to his house - that was something he definitely did not expect.

Without telling his son where they were going, he floo'ed to the Potter household; it was a lot nicer than he imagined.

Within minutes his son was playing with two raven-haired boys, both similar to his age, and neither caring about their family. The smile on Scorpius' face was worth every rejection he received; because finally, he had been accepted.


	5. Molly and her brothers

**House: Hufflepuff**

 **Category: Drabble**

 **Prompt: Molly Weasley/Prewett**

 **Word Count: 521**

 **Beta: Jetainia; Laura Ashes.**

 **Summary: Molly was always close to her brothers, Fabian and Gideon. Even though they chose separate paths, they were never far from each other to help when needed.**

* * *

Molly had always been a strong individual; she wasn't going to take crap from anybody. Especially, her twin brothers, Fabian and Gideon.

They had always tried messing with her - two on one - but it wasn't always easy for them. She wasn't going to let them get away with shenanigans whenever they wanted, especially, when they tried to pull her into them. That didn't mean that she wasn't one to participate occasionally, or give them a taste of what they were dishing out. But, she was always very focused and determined.

When they had all become graduates of Hogwarts - at different times of course - they went down different paths. Her and Arthur married, and that was the best thing for Molly. However, her brothers did not seem all that interested in settling down as they joined the Order. They wanted to fight, to win the war, and Molly wanted to help, but also didn't want to lose herself or her dreams during the war.

"William, go to sleep," Arthur whispered softly to their three-month-old son who'd woken up for the third time that night.

Molly sleepily watched from the bed as her husband attempted to coo their only child to sleep. She always woke up when he cried, as did Arthur, taking it in turns was difficult.

With another wail of despair from their baby, the bedroom door opened to reveal her brothers, both very much awake. They were staying here for a few nights and also seemed to wake up with William.

"Maybe Bill wants his favourite uncle," Fabian suggested. Molly wasn't sure she liked the nickname Bill, but her brothers never relented.

"Oh, if you insist," Gideon spoke, stepping into the room further and offering to take William; also dubbing himself as the favourite uncle.

Arthur handed over the crying infant who cried harder during the change of arms, but soon calmed down with Gideon's rocking technique.

Molly smiled fondly, and was happy for the crying to stop. "When are you two going to have children? You're both naturals."

"After the war; we've got some business to take care of first," Fabian replied with a grin.

William was back in his cot soon enough and sleeping peacefully; her brothers had returned to their rooms, and Molly and Arthur were laying down. "Do you think they'd have children?"

With a smile, Molly rolled over to look at him. "I know they both want children, they just need to find the right partners. They'd make great parents," she said, looking over at William. "Just like they are great uncles."

Arthur smiled, gently pulling her to him for a hug. "It would be nice for William to have a cousin or too."

"Yes, although, for now… he'll have to settle for a little brother or sister," Molly informed him, holding back the giant smile.

Her husband paused before a huge smile settled on his lips. He looked down to her stomach for a second. "You're pregnant?"

With a nod of confirmation, the two shared an intimate, celebratory kiss.

William would end up getting six younger brothers and sisters; unfortunately, he wouldn't get any cousins.

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 **Thank you for reading!**


	6. An Affair

**House: Hufflepuff**

 **Category: Short**

 **Prompt: An Affair.**

 **Word Count: 957**

 **Beta: Laura Ashes**

 **Summary: An affair must always come to an end.**

* * *

Draco groaned when the light suddenly flickered on, pulling the sheets over his eyes. "Warning," he growled. How dare his wife be so inconsiderate, especially as she was supposed to be on a trip.

"Sorry," a voice whispered, gaining his full attention.

Sitting up and turning his attention to Hermione, who was _not_ his wife, his attitude changed. "I wasn't expecting you," he stated.

Hermione was lingering between the door and the bed. "My schedule freed up, thought I'd see if you still wanted some company."

Draco pushed the covers off him and stood, not bothering to put a shirt on, before walking around the bed towards her. "Your company is always welcome."

The two of them had had an unexpected encounter a few months ago. It wasn't anything either of them regretted, just a very long conversation which spanned the whole night. A few weeks after that, they'd slept together. He had never even thought about getting with a Muggleborn, even after he let go of his prejudice; it just never crossed his mind.

"Where's Astoria?" Hermione asked. Her slightly stiff composure showed that she was hesitant about being in his home; that made things riskier. Neither of them wanted their affair discovered.

"A family event," Draco answered. He knew specifically where his wife was, and what she was doing, but Hermione didn't need the details.

He snaked his arms around her waist, feeling her body relax at his touch and words. Logically, he knew there was a reason she was here; she was the type of person who stuck to her word. So, her turning up after saying she couldn't, meant something was going on. He wasn't going to push her though.

"Hungry?"

A smile graced her lips. "I could eat."

Even with her words, neither of them moved. It was only after sharing a kiss did they slowly release one another and make the journey to the kitchen. Draco only ever visited the kitchen when he was alone, or with Hermione. Astoria would remind him that they had to pay the house-elves now, so they should use them at every opportunity.

Draco looked through the kitchen for what they should eat, which ended up being an exploding pudding. "What did you tell Weasley?"

Hermione's relaxed face changed at the mention of her husband. "About what?"

"Where you were going…" he said. This was definitely not like Hermione; she seemed almost jumpy. "What happened?"

She took in a sigh, placing down the spoon. "I've made a mistake; it was reckless, and beyond stupid. But… before I… I needed to talk."

"Talk?" Her behaviour was actually starting to worry him now, he looked around for some sort of trick.

"I'm pregnant."

Two words. Two simple words made Draco understand why she was here. "You're here to end things with me," he stated, letting out a sigh; he knew this would come eventually. She was too smart to continue on with this affair for too long. At her silence, he looked at her and his stomach dropped. "Is it mine?" This would change so much, and he wasn't sure he would be able to handle this. But, he knew one thing for certain, if this _was_ his baby, he wouldn't let it be raised by a Weasley. "Hermione. Is. It. Mine?" he demanded, needing to know.

She gave him a look which represented 'don't talk to me in that tone', but didn't verbalise that thought. "I don't know."

"There's a spell to find out," Draco pointed out. He knew she knew about it; she wasn't called the brightest witch of her age for nothing. Another no response.

Without hesitation, he pulled out his wand, pointing it at her stomach. Her wand with in her hand but she didn't raise it. "I don't…" she started, her voice failing her.

He didn't utter the spell, but didn't remove his wand. "If you're pregnant with Weasley's child, you'll go back to him and this will be over." It wasn't a question, they both knew that was true. "If it's mine…" he paused, her eyes boring into his. "Then you won't."

Hermione bit her lip. No objections. No acceptance. Nothing.

Muttering the charm, he watched as two white balls popped out of his wand and into Hermione's stomach. One came out and flew up and into Hermione's heart, confirming her as the mother. When the other came out, he couldn't feel himself breathe; a huge part of him wanted the ball to fly away, to find the baby's father in another room. But, another part of him wanted this baby - he didn't want to allow himself to hope for anything.

Draco stepped back as the ball came towards him, expecting it to veer off, but it didn't. He felt the fluttering off it as it entered his chest. He looked at Hermione; she must have known he was the father, otherwise, she wouldn't have come.

How could they have been so careless? They were both married, both well-known in the Wizarding community.

"I'm going to…"

"No," he instantly interrupted. He didn't know what he wanted to do, but he knew he didn't want her to leave.

He watched as she took a seat on one of the stools in the room. What should he say? He knew there were many options, and probably should have been thinking them through.

"We could run away together?" He feebly suggested, mainly to get rid of the tension in the room; thankfully, it worked. Hermione let out a small chuckle as she rolled her eyes. The smile didn't last long though, as it was time for them to work out under which circumstances this affair would have ended; with them together, or with them apart.

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 **Thanks for reading**


	7. We need to talk about this

**House: Hufflepuff**

 **Category: Themed (Family)**

 **Prompt: "We need to talk about this."**

 **Word Count: 971**

 **Beta: Laura Ashes (Thank you so much!)**

 **Summary: Draco Malfoy is not what Astoria expected; she thought he was a true, pureblood, Malfoy. But he seemed too… kind, and accepting. She wasn't sure if she liked that.**

* * *

"You're too lenient with him," Astoria commented, watching her husband who was knelt down on the floor, tickling their four-year-old son.

Draco barely even graced her with a glance, instead, he focused on bringing out the laughter from Scorpius. "He hasn't done anything wrong."

Astoria almost scoffed, but he held it back. She didn't need him to get angry at her, again. "He needs to learn discipline and you playing with…"

"Discipline?" he repeated, turning his full attention to her. "I think you need to look up that definition, Tori."

She frowned at that nickname and especially hated when he used it so generally when they were in the middle of a serious conversation. Though, she did like it when they were getting on, which was more towards the beginning of their relationship together; not lately. "Rolling on the floor is not disciplined."

"It's fun," Draco stated, standing up - that instantly made him more intimidating due to their height differences. "He is a very well-behaved child and I will ensure he gets the childhood he deserves. I will play with him, allow him to get muddy, and let him do what he wants within reason. I will not force him to act formally in his own home when only his mother and father are home."

A scoff did leave her this time and the anger visibly flared up in him. "That is not proper, it will make him soft."

"One of these days, you're going to wake up and realise what you've lost," Draco stated, picking up Scorpius who had been passively watching them fight. "How much of your son's childhood you've missed. You can't get it back."

"I don't care about his childhood; I care about our standing in the Wizarding community," Astoria admitted. It was an omission she had made before. "Maybe you should think about your son's future and keep him away from those who'll corrupt him."

Draco's eyes flashed again, though, he did not approach her. Before they were married, she didn't dare to speak to him like this, scared he'd lash out. He never did.

She stepped forward. "What would people think if they saw him covered in mud?"

"You are not who I thought you were, Astoria," Draco spoke, and the use of her full first name, instead of the shortened name, shocked her. It was a clear indication that her words were going too far. "I avoided marriage to others because of those views. I want my… _our_ son to not live in fear within his own walls."

Astoria could not think of a response; he did not understand the difference between discipline and fear. She had known that from the beginning. Though, she didn't expect him to near-spoil their child. They needed to talk about this, she knew that, but how did she fully express what she meant; he didn't listen.

When she didn't reply after a few long minutes, he turned and walked out of the room with Scorpius.

She just hoped that one day, he learnt what was the best when it came to raising their son; sooner rather than later.

* * *

"We need to talk about this," Astoria stated, walking into the bedroom she shared with her husband. She just couldn't let the tension building between them continue. In all honesty, she loved Draco, she loved who he was as a man… but, he was just not what she expected. During arguments, she can't help but be angry that he's not the man she thought she married. It didn't even matter to her that she hadn't wanted to marry him for the same reason she was angry at him. "I don't want us to be bitter towards each other."

Draco graced her with a glance, his grey eyes meeting hers for a few seconds. "Talk about what?"

"Everything."

"Fine."

Astoria blinked in surprise; she hadn't expected him to agree. Even after _years_ of marriage, she wasn't sure if she ever actually took the time to get to know him; it was only after having Scorpius and their differences in parenting that brought up these arguments. She watched as he pulled on a t-shirt and took a seat on the barely used black leather couch. There was a stretch of silence as she tried to work out, firstly, how to start the conversation, and secondly, if she should sit next to him or not. "Scorpius should learn about our families, about what a pureblood is and how some people see it."

"He also needs to know that pure-bloods, half-bloods, and Muggleborns are all equal."

She nodded in agreement. "Yes. I know that." Astoria had been one of the least prejudice in her year; she was never vocal about it though. But, now wasn't the time to dwell on them matters. "And… he shouldn't get his good clothes dirty. If you want to let him roll around in mud, I will buy him play clothes," she compromised, she never won many arguments anyway. He simply ignored her - it wasn't like she could do anything about it.

Draco's silence made her nervous, especially with the cool and collected look he was currently giving her. Eventually, he nodded, agreeing with her again.

Without his verbal response, Astoria could not think of what else to say. This might have been the first real, level-headed conversation they've had about Scorpius. Her attention instantly went back to him when he stood.

"Is that everything?"

"No."

Draco waited for her to continue, she could _see_ him waiting, but nothing came out. "More about Scorpius? Or more about us?"

"Us?"

He let out a sigh. Astoria wished she knew what he was thinking, especially when he turned away from her and looked out of the window. Was he happy? Did he want to change something? "Let's talk about everything then."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading**


	8. The Ex

**House: Hufflepuff**

 **Category: Drabble**

 **Prompt: The Ex [person/character]**

 **Word Count: 188**

 **Beta: LauraAshes; Magi Silverwolf. (Thank you both so much!)**

 **Summary: Hermione and Ron broke up and Hermione is dealing with it.**

* * *

Hermione lifted the glass up to her lips, taking a slow and long swig from the bottle. She resisted pulling a face at the nasty tasting liquor, but it didn't deter her from taking another sip.

She wasn't the type of person who was often seen at a bar. Especially, drinking alone. Letting out a sigh, she finished her drink and contemplated going home. Home… Where was that? She couldn't go _home_.

Hermione had just broken up with Ron. There wasn't even a solid reason behind it. He threatened to break up with her over something stupid, so to protect herself and take all of the power he thought he had away from him, she broke up with him. Her words were clear and concise.

He didn't say anything to stop it.

She left.

And now, she was the ex. And the first thing she decided to do with this new found status was to drink. The second thing would be to make her way to her best friend's house. That is… if she didn't find somebody else's house to go to instead; after all, she _was_ single.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading**


	9. Escaping family pressures

**House: Hufflepuff**

 **Category: Themed (Escape)**

 **Prompt: Anger [Emotion]**

 **Word Count: 613**

 **Beta: Laura Ashes; Magi Silverwolf.**

 **Summary: Percy wants to escape from his life as a Weasley.**

* * *

Percy couldn't take it anymore - he just couldn't. All of his life he has been a Weasley; that left very little room for him to find his own identity. Even people he didn't know could recognise him as a Weasley.

Sure, they weren't the worst family, but constantly being compared to them was frustrating. Everybody expected him to be exactly like the rest of the Weasleys. But he wasn't!

He worked hard at his school, always striving for more, achieving the best grades he possibly could. He became a prefect, and then head boy. But regardless of these outstanding academic achievements, he still remained in the shadow of his _perfect_ older siblings and younger twin brothers. Even his youngest brother and only sister were more popular amongst his family and friends than him!

Nobody cared about Percy _Weasley_. Everybody knew all they needed to about him. He was ginger, poor, and a blood-traitor.

His jaw tightened with anger as he thought about every time somebody only saw his family, only saw a _Weasley_. 'Must be great your brother being such good friends with the boy-who-lived', 'I hear your brother works with Dragons', 'I hear your brothers are opening up a prank shop'. ENOUGH! Even the memories of these questions were frustrating.

It seemed that people presumed the best way to start a conversation with him was to talk about others. For once, just once, he'd like to be regarded as his own person. Percy wanted to stand out, make a difference, and lead his own life untampered by the family pressures instigated on him at birth.

There wasn't anything he could change about who his parents were. Nor how they were portrayed in society. He had no control over being born into the Weasley family.

Of course, he could have done his best at hiding these common Weasley traits, give himself a new beginning by changing the three core values people associated with him. The harder he worked, dedicated his time to his occupation, and earnt money, the less he would be associated with being poor; and to an extension, his children when or if he had any.

There were times in his life he considered shaving off his hair or dying it so he wouldn't be recognised as much. He knew that would only be a temporary fix and would take a lot of time maintaining it - this would unintentionally give him less time to concentrate on work.

Finally, the blood-traitor status wasn't one of the values he ever gave too much thought to. However, when he was given the chance to redact this status automatically associated with him, he did.

He remained at the ministry, following them down a dark path. Percy didn't care. He had held his anger in too long and would lead his own path, even if on the inside he knew it was wrong.

The Ministry of Magic was in charge of the Wizarding community, he would have been stupid to turn his back on it. Rules were in place for a reason, and he would enforce them, even if his family decided to defy them.

Percy valued rules, that had been one of his most admirable qualities. It was the one thing that had separated him from his siblings, especially Fred and George. Therefore, he hadn't taken the time to consider that always following the rules was not a good thing. And by the time he did start to reconsider his current allegiance - he feared it may have been too late. He had successfully escaped from the family values that had been weighing him down for years, and now wished he could take them all back.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Houses Competition**

 **HUFFLEPUFF**

 **Theme: Flashbacks**

 **Prompts: Black Cat; First fight**

 **Word count: 910**

* * *

Peter Pettigrew wouldn't call himself a 'fighter', he was more like a runner. He would avoid conflict at all cost. However, being friends with James and Sirius often brought him into such situation. Remus tended to stand back too - at least Peter didn't have to be alone in that retrospect.

He stared at the black cat walking peaceful and free. Animals had a better life. There were times when he was tempted to turn into a rat and stay in his animagus form forever. He was tempted to do it right now… but he wasn't ready to run away that much. Even though he wasn't a fighter, he had fought… once anyway.

It was during his second year, when Peter couldn't find a way out, that he fought back. His first fight. It was a day he would never forget.

 _Peter let out a laugh at James' insult; it was true that that particular Slytherin looked like he hadn't showered in a month. The Slytherin's friends didn't look pleased at the comment._

 _The four of the Marauders laughed and walked off. Peter was glad that it hadn't escalated into a fight this time. Unfortunately, even though it hadn't caused a fight, Slytherin's weren't the most forgiving._

" _Oi! Pettigrew!" Avery snarled, strutting up to Peter when he was alone later that day. "I want a word with you."_

 _This wasn't gone. All Peter wanted to do was run away and hide, but Avery wasn't alone. There was no escape._

" _So… you think my housemate is smelly?"_

" _Uh… no…"_

" _Uh… no…" one of the Slytherin's behind Avery mimicked._

 _Peter decided to keep his glance on Avery. If he even dared to look to the side and see how he was surrounded by at least eight others, he really would fall to the floor and beg for mercy. But, he was sure they were just trying to scare him - surely they wouldn't deliberately attack him? Half of them were older than him._

" _Scared without your little friends?" Avery mocked. "They're not here now to protect you."_

 _Without warning, Peter was thrown backward. He looked up to see Malfoy sneering at him. "I think it's time you were taught a lesson."_

 _No, no, no! He couldn't do this. He had to get out. Looking around, Peter saw no escape. "It's not my fault! It was James! And Sirius! Please! I didn't do anything!" he groveled._

 _Manic laughter filled the air, a high-pitched cruel sound. He wasn't sure what spell hit him, but it hurt. After a few seconds, Peter drew his wand._

" _Is the little boy finally going to stand up for himself?" Avery taunted._

 _Peter wasn't a fighter, but this was the only way out he saw. He wasn't stupid, after all. "Stupefy!"_

" _What is going on?" Professor Dumbledore demanded._

Peter sighed as he remembered getting detention for his first fight. James and Sirius had celebrated it. To them, it was a victory! They were overwhelmed that Peter stood up for himself and against Slytherins too! He had felt proud that day… but he still ran when confronted. Like right now, he was running _to_ the dangerous, mass-murderer, Voldemort. He had been promised that no harm would come to him. All he had to do was give him the information he wanted.

He didn't like pain. Nor did he like fighting. Dying was unimaginable!

With less-than confident strides, he followed Avery into the lion's den - well, the Snakes den, he was _leaving_ the lion's den. Peter had always been better at following others, instead of making his own decisions or choices. However, this had been a difficult choice: Deciding who to follow.

He was about to betray his friends. Peter wasn't even sure if it was worth it. It wasn't. He _knew_ it wasn't worth it. All he wished was that he had come to this conclusion earlier as it was too late for him to turn around. He was trapped… surrounded. There was no way out. None that he could see anyway. If he didn't give them the information they required, he would be tortured.

Peter shook his head, the mere thoughts of what they could do dancing around in his head. He paused, seeing another black cat - or was it the same one - jumping over the fence.

Now was his chance. He could do it. He couldn't escape.

Grabbing his wand out of his pocket, he turned it towards himself and… withered in pain. The pain stopped a few seconds later, Lucius Malfoy smirking at him from a few feet away. "Come now, Pettigrew. We've been expecting you."

His wand was gone. Now there was definitely no way out. Peter followed him obediently.

Peter couldn't stop the sudden memories flashing through his mind.

 _James laughed as he threw an arm around his shoulders. "That's the funniest thing you've ever said!"_

* * *

 _"Don't tell the others, but I think James and Sirius are crazy," Remus jokes... or half-joked._

* * *

 _"Yo! Pete! You should come to James' this summer, it'll be amazing!"_

* * *

 _"Wormtail, did you have a good birthday?"_

* * *

 _"Here, borrow mine."_

* * *

 _"Best friends forever."_

* * *

 _"You have to come to my wedding, it wouldn't be the same without you."_

* * *

 _"You can always count on me."_


	11. Balloons

**The Houses Competition**

 **Drabble.**

 **Prompt: Balloons**

 **Word count: 320**

 **Beta's: Holly**

* * *

Hermione Granger was slightly sad to leave Hogwarts after her first year, however, she was thrilled to return home. She had missed her parents so much and couldn't wait to finally be reunited with them.

She had said goodbye to Harry and Ron on the train and ran straight over to them the second they were able to disembark. Whilst Hermione had been excited to tell her parents everything she had done and everything she had learnt, she was also very interested in what her parents had been doing.

One thing Hermione didn't like was how much time she had to spend away from her parents to receive this education. Boarding schools had never really appealed to her until Hogwarts.

"We have this whole week off to spend with you," her father informed her.

"Really?" The excitement filled her quicker than getting an O on her school work.

"Of course! Our baby girl is home for the summer!" her mother added.

Shaking with anticipation, she simply couldn't wait to be around her parents. As they walked up the drive, an unusual set of colours caught her attention through the thin drawn curtains of her home. She fell quiet with curiosity and followed her parents into the house.

A gasp of surprise left her mouth as she saw a layer of balloons covering the living floor and a banner which read 'Welcome Home, Hermione'.

"Balloons?!"

Her father let out a small chuckle. "We know you're older now and probably don't love balloons as much as you used to-"

"-but we had to celebrate!"

Hermione remembered begging for balloons when she was younger, she absolutely loved them. The colours, designs, the ones which floated and the ones which you blew up yourself. To her, it was magical! Of course, she had a different definition of magical now - that didn't change how this was the best homecoming she could have imagined. "It's perfect!"

* * *

 **Thank you for reading.**


	12. Proud of him?

**The Houses Competition**

 **Themed - Disappointed vs Proud**

 **Prompt: "I finally did it! I finally-" [Speech]**

 **Word count: 1236**

 **Beta's: Holly**

* * *

Hermione Granger-Weasley had to keep herself together. She had faced so much over her life, from being bullied as a child, to helping to save the Magical (and muggle) world for Voldemort, to facing the aftermath of wiping her parents memories. Each one tore her down and she built herself back up. But she couldn't explain the utter shock showing clearly on her face when she discovered _Scorpius Malfoy_ had been invited over with his _parents_ to one of their family get-togethers.

Sure, she knew that Albus and Scorpius had become friends during Hogwarts. Them both being in Slytherin was probably the catalyst for that. But she didn't visit any of her friends from Hogwarts until they were much older, and Albus and Scorpius had only finished their first years.

She couldn't help herself for keeping a close eye on the three Weasleys as they interacted with everybody. Hermione could feel the tension radiating off the adults; some were clearly more accepting like others. She had already told Ron off three times for being immature.

Walking out of the kitchen with a glass in her hand, her eyes flickered around before noticing that Scorpius was looking at her laptop. Hermione had been using the laptop occasionally - mainly in cafes - to keep an eye on her parents social media accounts. It was strange to see them living a whole other life, but reserval charms were tricky and if she messed it up she could cause more damage than intended. Her parents were happy as they were. At least, that's how it looked; she dreaded to look any further.

Pulling herself from those thoughts, she walked over to the 12-year-old blonde boy. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Draco tense - she would have too if the roles were reversed. "Hello, Scorpius."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Granger-Weasley," he replied eloquently, as he straightened his back whilst addressing her. "How are you today?"

Hermione was pleasantly surprised by Scorpius' manners. She only remembered Draco's bullying tactics at this age. "Very well, thank you. I see you're looking at my laptop," she said pointedly.

Scorpius' eyes widened. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I'm not telling you off," Hermione interrupted softly. "Have you seen one before?"

He shook his head. "It's a muggle item, isn't it?"

She nodded. "It is. This is a laptop." Hermione had decided to repeat the object's name as she was sure the young boy would not be accustomed to muggle items.

"What does it do?" Scorpius questioned curiously, more focused on the object instead of her.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder how many muggle-centric items Scorpius had ever seen, or, upon encountering them, knew what they actually were. "Many things. You can use it to write, or send emails, or look at pictures and videos."

Scorpius looked at the laptop with genuine interest. "What's an email?" he asked.

Hermione could see that he had several more questions on his mind but had restrained himself to only ask one. A smile made its way to her lips and she sat down to explain it to him. The way he was fully engaged and willing to learn about a muggle item was exhilarating. She was actually proud of the boy for being so open about this. This taught her to not judge a book by its cover. She showed him how to write an email, smiling at his extremely slow and timid typing.

"Is that right?" he asked, looking up at her expectantly.

"It is," she confirmed. "Don't forget to press the enter key to start a new paragraph."

Scorpius nodded and once again fell silent with concentration as he continued to write the email. Hermione was surprised at how the laptop was still working with all of the magical interference but simply hoped that Scorpius would have the chance to complete the task.

He looked up at her once more. "I've finished."

She read over his email, smiling as he successfully explained how to write and send an email… in an email. It definitely was a breakthrough for him. Just typing the email had been a struggle for him to begin with. "Go ahead and send it."

His face lit up at her words and he turned his attention back to the laptop once more. However, his expression dimmed almost immediately. "It didn't work," he said, his voice deflated.

"Try again," Hermione encouraged, noticing that Draco was making his way towards them. Her mind filled up with several different possibilities for what he could want. The most obvious being his son. She glanced at Scorpius briefly to see him trying for a third - or was it fourth - time to send the email. Suddenly, as she turned her attention back to his father, Scorpius jumped up.

"I finally did it! I finally-"

"Scorpius."

The boy stopped and looked at his father. "I sent an email, Father."

Draco's stern expression did not change. "We are here for you to play with your friends, not delve into knowledge on muggle artifacts."

Scorpius nodded. "Sorry, Father." He instantly turned and ran over to Albus.

Hermione rolled her eyes. You would think Draco would be more accepting.

"Do you have a problem, Granger?"

The opportunity to correct him to her actual last name was tempting, however, now was not the time to get into those details. "I merely thought you would have more compassion over your son learning something new."

"Something irrelevant," he countered. Without missing a beat, he continued; "My son did not beg me to attend this event to learn how to use your l- muggle object. He wanted to see his friends. That is the only reason we are here."

Hermione glanced at him with mild surprise. He had nearly said laptop; she could hear and see the l forming on his lips. She hadn't expected him to know anything muggle related. "You know what a laptop is? Why do you insist on calling it a muggle artifact or object?"

Draco turned slightly to look at her. "I am not as narrow minded as my father. It is important to understand a basic level of muggle history, objects, and culture as muggleborns and half bloods join the magical community on a regular basis."

"But that's not you," she found herself saying. Why was she so surprised about Draco revealing this to her?

"I'm disappointed in you, Hermione. I presumed you'd be the most open when it came to people changing. After all, you married the weasel and he used to bully you too."

Her expression darkened. "Ron never bullied me."

The smirk on Draco's face was angering her. "Really? I distinctly remember him insulting you many times, especially in the first year. What was the phrase he used? A nightmare and unfriendable."

Hermione felt a defense automatically on her lips, ready to rip him apart with no violence, however, they fell flat when she remembered that Ron _had_ used those exact words about her during their first year of Hogwarts. Even being attacked by a troll later that day didn't diminish the way it had felt for a classmate to insult her behind her back. Quickly pulling herself together, she looked Draco straight in the eyes. "People change. I hope you have, too."

He wasn't able to get another word in as she turned on her heel and walked over to Ginny. She needed to rant.


	13. Rosey-Cheeked girl all grown up?

**Written for The Houses Competition!**

 **House Hufflepuff writing for the Drabble Category!**

 **Prompt used: Caught out in the rain**

 **Word count: 464**

 **My amazing beta(s): Puffers aren't duffers**

* * *

"Don't tell me what to do!"

The words almost made Hermione growl. She wasn't the type of individual who lost her cool, but right now, with her daughter acting like she was, anything could happen. "Rose Weasley! You do _not_ talk to me with that tone."

Rose groaned, rolling her eyes. "Mu-um! Seriously! You're making a big deal out of nothing!"

Hermione ignored the clap of thunder as she looked at her 13-year-old daughter. When had she grown out of being the innocent, sweet, Rosey-cheeked little girl? "You were caught _stealing_ from Honeydukes! I call that a very big deal."

Another eye-roll. "It was just a-"

"No! There will be no 'it was just's'. Stealing is a criminal offence. You are lucky that the shop owner decided to contact me instead of the Aurors. Would you like Uncle Harry having to arrest you?" Silence, Hermione was finally getting through to her. "This behaviour is unacceptable. What made you do it?"

Rose looked at her as the first few raindrops began pattering onto the ground. "What?"

Hermione didn't want to get caught in the rain, but she wasn't going to break this conversation. "I want to know why you stole." She decided to leave the question open, not giving her options like she once would have.

"Oh… uhm…" Rose looked away from her mother for a moment, obviously trying to think of an answer. Whether it would be the truth or not, Hermione did not yet know. "I don't know."

Too many questions swirled around Hermione's head. "Rosie," she prompted softly.

Rose let out a breath, looking as if she might cry. "They keep calling me a 'goody-goody-girl' and making fun of me! I don't like it! I just wanted to show them that I didn't always follow the rules!" she revealed.

"Who?"

"James, Albus, and Scorpius!" Rose let out a groan. "They're so annoying and they _always_ make fun of me! I don't mind it from James much though, we always banter, but Al is just getting mean! And Scorpius is so annoying I just want to hex him all the time!"

Hermione stepped forward and pulled her daughter into a hug. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I-I wanted to… but it's silly!"

"Nothing is ever silly," Hermione stated confidently before hesitating as she checked the time. "Well… except turning up to Grandma Molly's birthday meal soaked."

Rose giggled. "Drying spell, Mum."

Hermione mock-gasped. "Since when did you get so smart?"

She shrugged jokingly. "Since it started pouring down with rain."

The two of them laughed at that before Apparating to the burrow. Even though Rose had broken down as quickly as the rain started, there was still so much healing to do… and two specific nephews who needed a reminder of good manners.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	14. Draco and Pansy

**Written for The Houses Competition and the Quidditch League.**

 **Ballycastle Bats - Reserve Beater 1.**

 **House Hufflepuff writing for the Short Category!**

 **Prompt used:**

 **"This feels like goodbye," [Speech]**

 **Quidditch [Sport/Game]**

 **Prompts/Theme (QL):**

 **Bat: write about a bully**

 **4 - (setting) Quidditch pitch**

 **14 - (colour) lime green**

 **Word count: 1451**

 **My amazing beta(s): Puffers aren't duffers; Queen-sheep.**

 **I've taken some liberties, so AU!**

* * *

Eight-year-old Draco Malfoy frowned at the brown-haired girl standing opposite him. He hated playdates with her; she was so annoying and always bossed him about.

"My Dad said I can marry you," she informed him with her pointy head held high.

Draco didn't even bother to stop the disgusted look that came onto his face. "Why would I want to marry you, shrimp?"

"Because I'm a pureblood," she stated, not even commenting on the nickname he'd attached to her. She claimed it was sweet he had a nickname for her and started calling him her dragon. Whilst he liked being compared to a dragon, from her it was just annoying.

"Oh," he replied. He knew his parents would have a big say in who he married. One of the rules was that they had to be a pureblood - which made complete sense; why would anybody want to purposefully wed somebody with dirty blood? "Doesn't mean we'll marry, there are loads of purebloods around. Most of them a lot better than you."

Pansy threw him a look, one he couldn't quite distinguish. "Parkinson is a great family name. We're one of the 28 sacred."

"You don't even know what that means," Draco challenged, and when she didn't immediately reply, he smirked. "See. You're just quoting your parents words. It's meaningless unless you _know_."

"You don't know..."

Draco stepped forward quickly, making her stop speaking suddenly. "I know that my family name is much more powerful than yours."

"And?"

Draco had her there. "That makes me desirable. And you're wearing lime green, which doesn't make me want you."

"It's the colour of Slytherin!"

He let out a scoff. "Not that shade! That's gross!" Draco pulled a face of disgust and let out a quick laugh when she shoved him to the ground. It was so fun annoying her back. "I can't wait until I can say goodbye to you."

* * *

"How does it feel to make the team?"

Draco turned around to see Pansy walking towards him and held back a groan. He recognised that expression on her face and didn't want to deal with her now - he was actually having a good time. "What do you want Pansy?"

Pansy pretended to look hurt, but the expression only remained on her face for a split second. "Can't a friend congratulate you?"

Whilst she wasn't lying about them being friends, he doubted she was here to congratulate them. Pansy never cared for Quidditch. Draco was actually surprised that she'd come to the Quidditch Pitch when it wasn't absolutely necessary. "You could have given me my gift in the common room," he said with a smirk.

The eyeroll was easy to miss if you didn't know her well. "I was going to buy you a bat, but you didn't join the team as a beater," she replied, giving him a knowing look.

"What do you want Pansy?"

"Me? Want anything?" She let out an annoyingly high screech of a laugh. "I actually have something for you."

That caught Draco's attention - she really had gotten him a gift. His look turned from curiosity to disgust the second she pulled out a lime green ball the size of a snitch - why did she insist on liking that colour? "A ball."

He didn't miss her looking at him like he was stupid and was surprised that she didn't throw the small round ball at him. "It's a snitch."

"I think you're mixing up colours again, shrimp."

Her fist hit his arm rather hard. "I know what colour it is, stupid!" She let out a huff and he was mildly afraid she'd hit him again - she had a strong arm. "It's to practice with. You can charm it so only _you_ can see the ball so everybody else doesn't know how rubbish you really are."

"I'm not rubbish!"

It was her turn to scoff at him. "You sure about that? We both know your father helped you get onto the team. Slytherin is too competitive to let a second year on it."

Draco shoved her; the truth hurt more than her fist sometimes. "Shut it. You can't even fly." Another punch hit his arm, like usual, and he ignored it. "What spell makes it invisible to others?"

Pansy let out a shrill laugh. "Oh, I forgot _I_ am better at charms than you."

"Pansy!"

With a groan, she helped him. Even though the two of them spent a lot of time together, half of it involved insulting and hitting the other - unfortunately, she never held back on her hits. It was this reason that they slowly began spending less time together. That didn't mean she wasn't a good friend, just somebody he wouldn't want to spend the rest of his life with. However, she bruised him a lot less than his own father had.

* * *

Draco hovered in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, looking around it carefully and attempting to foresee what could happen in the match tomorrow. His father would be here and he couldn't disappoint him. The fake snitch Pansy had gotten him had actually helped more than he cared to admit. Even though he wasn't as bad as Pansy had continuously repeated, he wasn't the best. If stupid Potter hadn't been made a Seeker in their first year, his father might have allowed him to tryout for the position he had wanted.

Glancing down at Pansy, who had been impatiently waiting for him for the last thirty minutes, he half-smirked, half-laughed to himself. She looked pathetic standing down there. It was amusing to make others miserable. His smile grew as he remembered Granger's face when he called her a Mudblood - he had to do that more often.

He looked down when he heard her scream his name. "Hold on!" he shouted back, forcing himself to sound annoyed. He put off going down for another twenty minutes before flying down.

"Ugh, what took you so long!"

"What's your problem? I was practicing."

"You were floating up there like the pathetic boy you are!"

Draco hadn't realised he'd hit her so hard until he felt the stinging in his hand. He made no attempt to utter an apology and growled at her. "Mind your tongue, Parkinson. I think you're forgetting your place."

"Where's that on the ladder? Beneath you?"

"You're lucky you're a pureblood, otherwise I'd have killed you by now. You're more annoying than Granger and she's a filthy Mudblood!"

He knew he'd gotten to her by the expression on her face and he felt no remorse.

Draco let his eyes look at her from top to bottom. "What did you want?"

It took her a second to compose herself. He didn't blame her, he rarely hit and insulted her in the same minute. But sometimes she just went too far and he couldn't appear weak. A Malfoy was not weak. "You asked me to come here."

"That I did. Let's go to dinner."

Without any visible hesitation, she turned and walked into the Hogwarts castle with him.

* * *

"We're not getting married," Draco informed her the second they were alone. She deserved that level of respect after everything they've been through.

"Greengrass."

So she knew. "It's a good match."

"Says your father."

He wasn't going to deny that, but Draco had approved the match. Astoria was easier to get on with and there wasn't a bad history with her. Draco knew that if he and Pansy ended up together, it would be a hostile environment - they'd left bruises on each other since they were children. He didn't want his children to be brought up like he was - seeing his mother being hit by his father. Draco wanted his children to feel safe within their walls. Abusing or bullying one's partner or friends was not a cherishing environment, and neither was allowing Lord Voldemort within the walls. "It's a good match," he repeated.

Pansy stepped towards him. "It is. We weren't. It's been great spending time with you."

"This isn't goodbye."

"I know," she replied before taking a breath. "Everybody changes as they grow up, get married, have children, and go their separate ways. It was bound to happen with us. You were clear from the beginning that you didn't want to end up with me. That's what I liked about you. Too bad I couldn't change your mind."

Draco felt himself shaking his head before he registered he was doing it. "This feels like goodbye."

Pansy gave him a small smile before placing a kiss on his cheek. "It's not goodbye. I'm going to attend your wedding, at least."

"I better see you there, or else, I'm coming after you."

"You'll definitely see me. I'll be the one wearing lime green."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	15. Rose and Scorpius?

**Written for The Houses Competition!**

 **House Hufflepuff writing for the Themed Category!**

 **Prompt used: Best Robes.**

 **Word count: 1232**

 **My amazing beta(s): EvasiveMuse; Puffers aren't Duffers**

* * *

Rose let the laugh fill her up as she shook her head in disbelief at Scorpius. "Don't lie."

"I'm not! My Dad really _did_ fall over in the mud! You should have seen it, it was really funny!" Scorpius assured her. The huge smile on his face and how he spoke about it so animatedly made her instantly believe him. This wasn't a side of Scorpius she had really seen over the last few years. Then again, she barely saw any sides of Scorpius; he was Al's friend.

"You should have taken a picture."

"I was laughing too much!"

Rose shook her head, but this time in amusement. She looked at him, and not just because he was there, but because she wanted to. How had she _not_ noticed how striking his features were? However, she refused to let herself get distracted and quickly made another comment. "So… what you're saying is… that _all_ Malfoys are clumsy and fall over when it rains? Not just you?"

"Precisely!"

"I still cannot imagine your Dad falling over."

Scorpius let out a chuckle. "Next time I'll take a picture."

Rose couldn't stop the genuine smile that made its way to her lips. "Can't wait."

He flashed her a smile before running over to Al.

"This is not going to be good," Rose muttered to herself before picking up her broom and waiting for the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team to practice.

* * *

Rose Weasley found herself hovering on her broom looking out at the scenery. The sun had almost set and everybody had already headed inside for dinner - or so she thought.

"Hey! Weasley!" somebody called from down below.

While it was tempting to ignore them, Rose looked down and saw Scorpius. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

He was silent for a while before walking off. She shrugged off his behaviour and returned her gaze to the mountains. Unfortunately, she was interrupted a few minutes later - once again, it was Scorpius. However, this time, he was also on a broom. He looked rather strange as his robes looked brand new. "I want to talk to you."

"Talk, then," she replied with a shrug.

"Okay…" Scorpius started, drifting off. Rose almost felt bad for her abruptness, but she hadn't been expecting to talk to anybody, let alone somebody who didn't know when she wasn't in the mood to socialise - like now, for example. "I was wondering if we could study together sometime. Transfiguration is starting to get tricky, and I'm the only one who took it out of my close friends."

That got her attention. "You want to be study buddies?"

"Yes."

That simple reply made her pause in thought. She just couldn't work Scorpius out. He flew up here to talk to her, explained why he wanted to study together, and then gave a one-word answer. Then again, she hadn't been completely consistent with their limited amount of conversations. "Sure. Studying with you should be beneficial for both of us," she stated before quickly adding some context; "I got my potion skills from my mother - she wasn't the best."

Scorpius smiled when she agreed, and it only increased as she continued. "Great! How about tomorrow?"

Rose quickly ran over her schedule. "That works. I'm busy staring out into the mountains right now and you have a prior engagement."

"I do?" he asked, looking perplexed as he turned his attention away from her.

"The robes?"

Scorpius looked down at himself before smirking. "You noticed that I'm wearing my best robes, how sweet! My mother wanted a picture of me wearing them, and I saw you out here from the window," he explained with an elegant shrug. "So, when tomorrow?"

Rose couldn't help but let her eyes wander down his body - he looked good in black robes. The school uniform did not do him justice. "I have a free period right before dinner."

"Me too," he informed her. "Meet in the library?"

"It's a date."

* * *

Rose didn't have high expectations for her study session with Scorpius. In fact, when he actually showed up, he'd already beaten all of her expectations. She didn't know why, but she presumed it'd be a prank of some sort. As they went through their homework assignments, one by one, the conversation remained casual. The fact that they had been around each other over the years definitely aided in the relaxed atmosphere. There was just so much about him that she didn't know.

Only when they'd finished all of their homework - _all of it!_ \- did the duo realise that they had missed dinner. And worse than that, it was past curfew. Rose couldn't work out how she'd managed to let that happen. Sure, she wasn't always back before curfew, but she was always attentive when that particular rule had been broken.

"We're dead, aren't we?"

Scorpius smirked at her. "Stop being so dramatic."

Rose's mouth dropped open. "You're kidding, right? Not only is it past curfew, but we missed dinner!"

"There's nothing we can do about missing curfew," he started, "but there is something we can do about being hungry."

She didn't like this idea, and he hadn't even suggested it.

"What're a few extra minutes going to hurt?"

Rose let out a sigh, trying to force herself out of her head, before reluctantly nodding. She _was_ really hungry, and it didn't matter what time the professor found them if they were caught, as they'd still get in trouble.

She let him lead the way, deciding that following him was the safer option seeing as he had obviously snuck around the castle after hours more than she had.

"Do you often miss curfew?"

Scorpius spared a glance at her before rounding a corner. "No. I usually sneak out. The best time is in the morning hours, 4 a.m. onwards - hardly anybody is up then, or even patrolling."

Rose stared at the back of his head in shock. "Why on earth would anybody want to get up _early?_ "

He chuckled in front of her, which probably wasn't the wisest decision. "Exactly, that's why it's less of a risk."

Weird logic, but it made sense. "How did you think of that?"

"You should wait until we're in the kitchens before you talk, Rose."

Even though he wasn't looking at her, she pulled a face at him, but remained quiet nevertheless. After all, she _didn't_ _want_ to get caught.

Finally, they were in the kitchens. Though, with the elves there, Rose was still nervous they'd be caught - surely one of the elves would tell a Professor?

"What did you ask?" Scorpius asked, stepping over to the counter and putting something together.

Rose blankly watched him until he looked at her. "Oh… what?" she started, forgetting her original question from the corridor. "What are you doing?"

"It's called getting food."

"B-but… I thought you'd just… ask an elf for something."

Scorpius sent her a teasing smile. "Just because you live a pampered life…"

As he trailed off, Rose stood up with an open mouth. "I am not pampered! I just though…" she drifted off, deciding to not finish that sentence. "What are you making?"

"Scrambled eggs."

It was at this moment, that Rose realised she could fall for Scorpius if she wasn't careful. And right now, she was not being careful. This was going to end badly, she could foresee it.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**


	16. Regrets

**Written for The Houses Competition!**

 **House Hufflepuff writing for the Short Category!**

 **Prompt: He/She reached out. Her/his hand grasping for his/her…**

 **QL - Team Tutshill Tornados writing for the Keeper position (Reserve)**

 **Prompt: We Belong Together — Mariah Carey**

 **Word count: 1310**

 **Summary: Hermione regrets breaking up with somebody.**

* * *

" _Hermione. We can get through this together."_

" _No. I can't do this. I-"_

" _Please. I love you. You're the one that said that love could conquer anything."_

" _I-I don't love you."_

 _She watched the hurt flash across his face before he stared at her with a blank, cold expression. That image burned into her memory. Just like the image of him turning his back on her and walking off. Step by step. Until he apparated off._

* * *

Hermione stared at the ceiling. The different patterns swirled together when the ceiling had been artexed wasn't enough to occupy her tired mind for as long as it usually would.

She wasn't the type of person who let herself live with regrets. At least, that is what she made people believe. There were a lot of things that Hermione regretted; hiding in the bathroom and crying instead of standing up for herself during first year, using a spell to aid Ron to make the Quidditch team, wiping her parents' memory. However, it was something else keeping her up right now, a certain male and how things ended with them.

With a groan of dissatisfaction, she pushed herself up into a seated position. She knew she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep.

Why was it, he was causing her more sleepless nights then when they were together?

Every time she looks back, she sees all of the great moments they had together. But they were all without the pressures of the outside world. Without the judgements, and newspaper articles. Hermione just couldn't take it anymore. She reached a point of insanity, where she felt she was losing herself as she attempted to avoid any situation which could lead into a story.

She already had enough articles written about her being friends with Harry and Ron. But dating one of the most eligible bachelors, who was a former death eater, seemed to make everybody go crazy.

No matter how many times Hermione tells herself she did the right thing, she still hadn't made herself believe it. She was just lying to herself. Her biggest regret was making _him_ believe she didn't love him. Part of her knew he that he knew the truth but had been so hurt by her saying the words that he chose to do as she said. He listened to her and left. She wished he hadn't.

She should have stuck it out, and they should be together. He should be with her. He should be lying next to her right now.

Hermione closed her eyes and could clearly imagine him sitting up with her - he had always been a light sleeper. The nights were lonely without him, she didn't know how to spend her time in the moments between waking up and going to work. It seemed so insignificant at the time, the good morning's and good night's. Now she yearned for them.

The only positive that Hermione could see right now, was that she had stopped crying over it. Finally, she wasn't letting her emotions get the better of her. That didn't stop her brain from screaming out at her. She was a coward, running away from her feelings, and hiding from the fact that she _wants_ him with everybody else.

Sleep was useless. She pushed the rest of the covers from her sweating body, them landing where he had slept and stood up. Checking the time once more, she decided that a long run would benefit her.

* * *

"'Mione," Harry's voice interrupted Hermione's letter. "Are you alright?"

Hermione blinked slightly, wondering how she didn't hear Harry entering her office at work. She didn't have a quiet door. "Of course," she replied, putting on a smile. "How are you?"

"Fine," he replied as he leant against the wall opposite her. "Are you still not sleeping?"

Damn it. You let it slip _once_ and he listens. "I'm fine, Harry. Honestly."

He didn't look convinced. Hell, she wasn't convinced by her own words.

"What brings you here?"

"We were supposed to meet for lunch."

Hermione knew that. It was only after checking the time did she realise how late she was. "Oh." She was so tired that she couldn't think of an immediate response, a lie, to explain her lateness. Hermione was never late, she was always punctual. She must have lost that part of her when she let him go.

"Talk to him."

"Who?"

Harry gave her a pointed look.

She sighed. "No, Harry. I'm fine! I'm over our little breakup. Honestly!"

"Then why are you not sleeping or eating properly?" Harry paused, the confidence and concern on his face was almost irritating. Then again, she was tired and hungry, so she couldn't argue with his words. "Just talk to him. It might help with some closure."

* * *

This was ridiculous. Hermione had _told_ him that they didn't belong together. Forced him to leave. And then avoided him in the weeks that followed. By the time she decided to not avoid him, it seemed they just never passed each other anymore. Now, she was walking straight towards him. Harry was not right about this, it would only cause more problems.

He paused outside of his usual coffee place - an addiction she got him into - and stared at her. Was it a test? Was he testing if she would break? She wouldn't.

Hermione maintained eye contact every step towards him until she stopped directly in front of him, only a few feet separating them. Now they had to talk. It would be strange if she walked off, and he'd know she wimped out.

"Hello, Granger," he greeted before she found her voice.

"Draco," she replied, her voice coming out softer than she had wanted. Instantly she knew that she should have used his last name. It would have come out stronger and with the edge she wanted. Hermione never managed to say his first name with a harsh tone, not when it came with getting to know _him_. "How have you been?"

"Work has been good."

"I'm glad."

Draco glanced away from her, his eye focusing on something else for a split second before coming back to hers. She refused to look, just in case it was something she didn't want to see. "It's good to see you." The way his back remained straight, his head held with a high level of self-confidence made him look completely in control of the situation as if he had been expecting it. She supposed it was inevitable that they'd run into each other at some point. But it had been nearly three months.

Hermione tried to not read too much into his words. "And you. You look well."

"You don't."

Hermione was almost taken back by his response. The simple reply which she hadn't expected. It was starting to feel less like a forced civil conversation. Once again, she found herself speechless.

"Is it because you're with Weasley now? He doesn't live up to the expectations of a 'good guy'." Once again, his eyes flickered away from her, and this time she followed his gaze. Ron was glaring at them from across the street. Perhaps confronting Draco in a public place wasn't the best option.

"No."

It was Draco's turn to not reply.

"I'm not with Ron," she clarified lightly. Silence filled the air between them. She didn't know what else to say or do. After an obscene amount of time, she decided to just let something out, the first thing in her mind. "I'm sorry."

"Can we not do that here?" he asked, his voice low.

Hermione paused her thoughts and nodded.

Draco's eyes moved once again to Ron. "Just apparate over to mine whenever you feel like talking."

Her eyes widened slightly at that offer and stepped to the side as he walked passed her. Every step he took away from her was filled with confidence. Had he been affected by her breakup? She wasn't so sure. Was she mentally holding onto somebody who had gotten over her? Probably.

* * *

This was a bad idea. A horrible idea. The worst idea ever. Even sneaking past a three-headed dog was a better idea than this. With as much confidence as she could, trying to regain her previous attitude, Hermione apparated to Draco's. She refused to even let her mind think about why his wards would still allow her in - she didn't want to wonder if they'd always been open to her.

Hermione hadn't meant to close her eyes, but as she opened them she realised she was alone in Draco's living room. Her heart almost gave out to realise it wasn't exactly the same as she remembered it. He had gotten new artwork for the walls and new cushions. Taking a step forward, she lifted one of the light grey cushions. It was softer than she expected it to be.

She saw him out of the corner of her eye enter the room, he was tucking his wand into his pocket. "You said to apparate in."

"I did."

Placing the cushion back down onto the chair, she turned to face him. "You've changed this room."

Draco let his eyes move around the room before setting back on her. "I felt it was time for a change." He stepped further into the room, metres still distancing them. "What do you want, Hermione?"

His voice was completely different from earlier that day. No longer was he the collected and confident Draco Malfoy. Now, she saw the real Draco, the one who didn't hide every ounce of emotion. He looked tired, worn out. "To talk."

"We talked. You told me to leave and I did."

The way he said it just added more regret. It was very clear that she had caused them both pain. "I thought I knew everything I needed to. I thought I knew what I wanted… But I was just lying to myself," she paused as she looked away from him, "and lying to you."

He remained silent and still. That was worrying.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," she decided, looking back up at him. Right now, she hoped he didn't know her well enough to know she was lying. Yes, she was sorry, but she wanted to say so much more. Wanted to ask him to give her another chance. Tell him that they belong together. But she wouldn't do that to him.

"I've been waiting for you to come to the realisation that we belong together," Draco stated, a smug expression on his face. "You're more stubborn than I expected."

Hermione looked at him in utter surprise. Did he just…? Was…? "What?"

A chuckle left his lips, and for the first time in three months, she felt herself relax. He took four large steps towards her but paused. "I'll let you make the first move."

She reached out. Her hand grasping for his. Unsure if this was a trick or not, but she wasn't willing to speak as her body tensed in anticipation, waiting for him to reach back. All too slowly he took her hand before quickly pulling her to him and capturing her lips. Had she known he'd take her back so willingly, she'd have apparated here months ago. How was she to know he wasn't going to hold a grudge?

* * *

 **Thank you for reading**


	17. Birthday Girl's Manners

**Written for The Houses Competition!**

 **House Hufflepuff writing for the Drabble Category!**

 **Prompt used: "Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"**

 **Word count: 266**

 **My amazing beta(s): Puffers aren't duffers.**

 **Title: Birthday girl's manners.**

* * *

Lily Evans opened her eyes and looked at her sister in utter confusion. "Tuny?"

"Wake up! It's my birthday!"

Lily smiled at that reminder and sat up instantly. "Happy birthday!" she exclaimed, watching her sister beam at the attention. "You're eleven now!"

"I am! So get outta bed now!" Petunia ordered, pulling the covers off the unexpecting younger sister. "Now!"

Lily shivered momentarily before bursting out into laughter and clambering out of her bed. "I'm up! I'm up!"

Petunia grinned, grabbed her sister's hand, and dragged her from the room with a huge smile. "Today is going to be so fun!"

With an admiring smile, Lily kept up with her older sister. Tuny loved getting presents or when the focus was entirely on her. Of course, they shared most of their things and time together, but Tuny loved that little extra attention.

"I want pancakes!" Petunia exclaimed to their parents as they entered the kitchen.

Their father cleared this throat, a hand on his hip. "Excuse me?"

Petunia's mood faltered for a second and she glanced at Lily, who simply gave her a pointed look. _Manners!_ "Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

"Please," Lily whispered.

You could see the eleven-year-old girl resisting the urge to roll her eyes, but she relented. " _Please_. It _is_ my birthday, remember?"

"Just because it's your birthday, doesn't mean you can forget about manners," their Dad pointed out. He waited a full second before smiling at the two girls. "Pancakes'll be ready in a few minutes."

Lily squeaked in joy along with her sister as they both sat down, expectantly waiting.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	18. Teddy's battle

**Written for The Houses Competition!**

 **House Hufflepuff writing for the Themed Category! (Teddy is confirmed to be in Hufflepuff)**

 **Prompt used: "If you think for one second that I'm going to back down,"**

 **Word count: 649**

 **My amazing beta(s): DinoDina; RawMaterial (Thanks!)**

* * *

Teddy ran out into the garden with a stick still in his hand that he was pretending was a wand. "Expelly-mas!" he yelled. "Stupy-fly!" he added, twisting and turning his 'wand' in a made up motion to defeat the evil wizards.

"If you think for one second that I'm going to back down," he screamed, twisting around, "you got 'nother thing coming!"

"Teddy! Dinner!"

"I'm in the middle of a very dang-rous battle!" he called back, not taking note of his Aunt Andromeda.

"You can't have a battle on an empty stomach," came her patient reply.

Teddy paused, looking over his shoulder towards the house. The seven-year-old took a full 24 seconds to decide before running inside, taking a seat at the table. "Did Uncle Harry always eat before a battle?"

Without hesitation, Andromeda replied: "Of course. You can't defeat a Dark Wizard without eating properly — including all of the vegetables."

With a small groan and a glance at the opposing green and orange colours on his plate, he picked up his fork. "Will there be veg at Hoggy's?"

"Hogwarts," Aunt Andromeda corrected. "And yes, there'll be plenty."

Teddy pondered that for a second before eating some of his sausage. "Does each house have different veg?"

Andromeda smiled fondly at him, amusement in her eyes. "Every house eats the same. You will eat all of your meals in the Great Hall."

"Not in the Gryffindor Common Room?"

"Gryffindor?"

Teddy nodded eagerly. "Like Uncle Harry and you!"

Had Andromeda been drinking, she'd have spit out her drink. "I was in Slytherin, Teds."

He couldn't believe it. That wasn't possible. He wanted to be in the same house as Aunt Andro and Uncle Harry. "No! Please!" he begged, not that it made a difference. "Then where do I go?"

"You'll be sorted into the house where you belong."

"Where's that?"

Setting her fork down and turned her attention to him. "Every house is amazing it its own way. Slytherin, where I was sorted, is filled with the ambitious individuals. They received a bad name, but they are some of the most incredible group you can meet. Gryffindors are well-known for their bravery and the house is popular due to Harry. It was also the house your father was in."

Teddy instantly started paying even more attention to his aunt. She rarely spoke about his parents.

"Ravenclaw is for those who yearn to learn. And finally, Hufflepuff, for the loyalist people you'll ever meet. Just like my husband and your mother."

"My mum was in Hufflepuff?" he asked in awe. "They're loyal?"

It took a few seconds before he received a response. "Yes, very loyal. I also hear they are very good finders."

Teddy ate a few of the green beans before continuing the conversation — he didn't want Andromeda to end the talk because he wasn't eating. "Is that what people remember about my mum?"

His aunt let out a small chuckle. "No. She was incredibly brave; an Auror and a member of the Order. She helped take down V— the Dark Lord. Though, those who knew her well would remember her clumsiness and the fact that she was a Metamorphmagus."

"Like me!"

"Yes, like you. She loved changing her hair colour just as much as you do. Bubblegum pink was her favourite for the longest time I can remember."

Teddy grinned. Leaning left and right until he caught himself in a reflection, he watched his hair change to a bright pink colour.

"Just like that," Andromeda said with a soft smile, her voice quieter now. "Eat up, Teddy. You need to be big and strong to finish that battle."

He happily ate all of his dinner up without any hesitation, eager to get back to his pretend fight against the darkest wizard of them all. However, this time, he'd be pretending to be his mother, not his Uncle Harry.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**


	19. Heartbreak City

_**QL - Wigtown Wanderers for Chaser 3.**_

 _ **Prompt: Write about a heartbreak on a summer day**_

 _ **House Hufflepuff writing for the Short Category!**_

 _ **Prompt used: "Cake is not a valid excuse," [Speech]**_

 _ **Word count: 1091**_

 _ **My amazing beta(s): Aya Diefair (Thank you!)**_

 _ **Title: Heartbreak City**_

* * *

James Potter stared out of his bedroom window with a smile plastered on his face. He already knew that this summer would be the best one yet. He and Lily finally had an understanding - it only took six years - and he was positive that they'd become something. Right now, though, he was happy for any sort of relationship, platonic or otherwise.

In fact, love was in the air this summer, and it only started last week. It seemed like everybody had fallen on the love train. Remus had confessed to liking somebody, but not who. Peter went on his first ever real date last night - and James was eager for all the details. Sirius was secretly getting closer to Marlene - a perfect match in James' opinion.

He heard the fireplace erupt and instantly smiled; the first of the Marauders had arrived! Laughing as he saw Sirius, he shook his head. "You live here! You can't keep leaving just to Floo back," James informed him, still highly amused by his friends' antics. However, usually, the fellow raven-haired boy was the last to arrive.

"What?" Sirius uttered innocently. "I had to buy some cake."

"Cake is not a valid excuse," he countered, "we have loads here already."

Sirius waved off the comment, placing the bag down and then wandered out of the room. James swiped up a strawberry cake before following his friend.

"Where were you really?"

"With Marlene."

James didn't even bother to hide the massive teasing grin on his face. "Oooh. How is she?"

Sirius didn't look completely happy for a full three seconds and James felt his expression dimming to match him. But he suddenly exploded into a childish grin. "She's great. We're officially dating. Time to tell the world!"

"Finally!"

Sirius scoffed. "Finally? I'd been seriously gunning after her for six months, four of them we were secretly dating. You've been after Li-"

"This is not about me," James interrupted. "You're dating one of the hottest girls in the school!"

"Uh… hi," Remus said behind them, an unreadable expression on his face, his arms slack by his side.

Concern instantly seeped into James' bones. "Remmy, what's wrong?"

With a quick shake of his head, Remus put on a smile - one which was easily seen through. "Nothing. I'm fine. Well done on… uhh…"

"Snagging Marlene M- I mean, future Mrs Marlene Black," James teased, hoping to bring Remus out of whatever was wrong before opening up an emotion-filled conversation. However, that just seemed to make his expression damper.

Sirius, on the other hand, was slightly more preoccupied with James' statement than Remus' expression. "Woah, woah! Nobody said anything about _marriage_!"

"It's a good match," Remus said lightly before a cry rang out, interrupting them all.

The three Marauders turned and made their way towards the fourth. "Peter!" James exclaimed.

"What happened?" Remus asked, finding his voice in full force as Sirius pulled up his sleeves, ready for a fight.

"S-she… she… sssshe… only went out w-with me for… for a d-dare," he stumbled out between the tears and heavy breaths.

Sirius' expression darkened quicker and deeper than James'. "For a dare?" he repeated with a growl.

"W-we… it was great. I-I had a great time and s-she said that s-she did too and then she t-told me." Peter accepted Remus' tissue gratefully and wiped his eyes and nose. "Was it all fake?"

"No," Remus and James' simultaneously.

James watched Remus comfort Peter with a hug, whilst Sirius calmed himself down to think about the options. Conjuring a hot chocolate,e handed it to his friend. "Here. She said she had a good time?"

Peter nodded before sitting down with Remus and taking a sip.

"So… she likely told you that because she likes you." It was a stretch, there were a hundred reasons why she would have told him it was a dare but he wasn't going to take that statement back when a hopeful expression covered up the heartbroken look. "Don't let this get you down."

"Yeah, you had your first date!" Sirius replied, sounding carefree and excited, but they all knew he was still defensive over the matter and would be the first to go after the girl with - or without - permission.

Peter looked conflicted but ended up smiling - though, the teary eyes were still evident. "Yeah, I did. She actually turned up!"

James felt relief fill him mildly when Remus and Sirius were easily able to coax out more details. He knew it wouldn't be the end of the conversation, but without the facts, they didn't want Peter unnecessarily upset. Hopefully, this girl would actually give Peter the chance he deserves, if not, James would put all of his power into finding somebody for him. After all, his friends' happiness was one of the most important things in his life.

Thinking about his friends' happiness; "Remus," he whispered, tilting his head to the side and walking out of the room.

A few seconds later, Remus followed him out. "Did you want me to visit her? We both know I'm the most level-headed."

"That's true, and a good idea, but that's not why I wanted to talk to you."

Remus' expression changed to something more guarded.

With a sigh and a supportive smile, James led his friend further away from the other two Marauders. "Marlene or Sirius?"

"What? Neither."

Another breath. "Marlene or-"

"Sirius."

How had he not known? Was he really that blind to one of his best friends feelings? Had Remus not felt like he could share this with him, Peter, or Sirius? The latter would have been the hardest, but they were friends. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Remus was the one to sigh this time. "I didn't want to burden you. We all know you and Sirius are the closest, and Peter and I am."

"That doesn't mean that we aren't the Marauders, the four pranksters, the adored four, the group that will go down in history!" James stated all of their nicknames they'd attached to themselves. "You can talk to us, we would-"

"I told Peter."

That hurt. Although, Sirius only told James about him and Marlene, so he tried to not take it personally. Nor was he going to insult Remus to deny that he wouldn't have spoken to Sirius first regarding his own love life - or lack thereof. "I can help."

Remus smiled softly and rested a hand on James' shoulder. "Thanks, Jamie. You're a great friend. But there's nothing you can do. As long as Sirius is happy, I'm happy."


	20. Prank Gone Wrong

_**Written for The Houses Competition!**_

 _ **House Hufflepuff writing for the Drabble Category!**_

 _ **Prompt used: "I never saw him/her again."**_

 _ **Word count: 228**_

 _ **My amazing beta(s): Aya Diefair, DinoDina.**_

 _ **Title: Prank gone wrong?**_

* * *

"It had been my finest prank of all time. I laid it out perfectly to not only compliment her but to show off my skills too. Everything went according to plan; the confetti exploded with Gryffindor colours," James paused as he looked into the distance dramatically, remembering how long it took him to set it up earlier that day. "I never saw her again."

The second years he had been talking to all gasped.

"You're lucky you haven't," Sirius commented nonchalantly.

"She wasn't pleased… said a few things I'd never heard before," Remus said.

James ignored them and sighed. "I wish I could see her glowing face."

"Glowering expression, you mean?" Remus amended.

"The love in her eyes."

"Hate."

"And the feel of her hand-"

"Punching you in the face."

James' head snapped around to face Sirius. "Lily has never punched me in the face."

With a smirk, Sirius replied; "First time for everything."

Peter walked into the common room, looking nervously at his three best friends. "Lily's heading up with Marlene right now."

A full two seconds of silence filled the air before the Marauders shot up and headed for their dorm.

"I thought Lily was your beloved?" Sirius teased, pushing James out of his way.

James shot a glance behind him to the portrait opening. "She just needs her own space," he said, hurrying after him.


	21. Siriusly a pet?

_**Written for The Houses Competition!**_

 _ **House Hufflepuff writing for the Themed Category!**_

 _ **Prompt used: Hogsmeade**_

 _ **Word count: 763**_

 _ **My amazing beta(s): DinoDina, Aya Diefair, Puffers aren't Duffers.**_

 _ **Title: Siriusly a pet?**_

* * *

Sirius padded along on all fours, slipping past the calm streets of Hogsmeade. They were very different during the summer; he'd only been here during the optional trips at Hogwarts. As he turned a corner, he paused and contemplated changing back into his human form to buy something from one of the stores, but changed his mind. If he had any chance of getting to Hogwarts, he best remain in his Animagus form.

"Look at that poor doggy," a child's voice said as a hand abruptly touched him.

Sirius quickly turned but froze when he saw the child was only a couple of years old - four if he had to guess. At the alarmed look on the parent's face, he laid down to appear less threatening. He almost regretted it as the young girl dropped to her knees and hugged him tightly.

"Can we keep him?"

The male bent down, running a smooth hand over Sirius' back with a soft smile before it went up to his neck. "I'm not sure your mother would like us taking in a stray, Barbie."

Sirius knew he should walk away as the chances of being thrown into a pound would not be his idea of fun - however, he had run away from home and didn't have anywhere to live; at least he'd get something to eat.

"B-but Daddy! He's all alone! Please! I'll take care of him, and walk him, and clean him, and-"

The dad's chuckle seemed to stop the girl. "How about we take him home," he paused as Barbie squealed with joy, "and see if we can find him a good home?"

A good home sounded nice, but they didn't know that Sirius wasn't really a dog - he couldn't be anybody's pet. However, he allowed himself to be picked up and carried for a few minutes until they went into the Floo.

This family had known him - well, Padfoot - for less than an hour and had been more of a family to him than his own. He was warm, fed, and loved. The amount of cuddles little Barbie - who he found out was five - had given him would last him a lifetime.

He snuggled up to Barbie, enjoying the soft giggles that ignited from her. "Daddy's going to convince Mummy to let me have you as a pet. Would you like that?"

Sirius didn't know how to respond to that; he wouldn't be able to stay here longer than the summer.

"What's your name? I think Scruffy would be the best name for you. Do you like it?" she questioned, tilting her head before smiling and continuing. "Daddy said I could have an owl when I go to Hogwarts… or a cat, or a toad. I wish I could take a dog, then you could go with me! But don't worry, I see the students visiting Hogsmeade a lot! So, I promise I'll visit you loads!"

"Barbara," her mother called, stepping into the room. "You need to get ready for bed."

Barbie nodded as she stood. "Come on, Scruffy."

"Scruffy will sleep down here, Barbs."

The sad look on the five-year-old's face was so sweet that Sirius would have given in. Her mother, however, didn't.

Sirius watched the two walk from the room before he laid down on the couch, his head dangling off, finally not fearing the homelessness. He realised that he shouldn't have tried to go to Hogwarts. Yes, it was his home, but it was the _people_ that made it his home. Nor should he have let this family take him in for it would only cause sadness. The longer he remained here, the more heartbreaking it would be for Barbie when he left.

He should have gone to James, Remus, or Peter. He was always slightly closer with James, them both having a lot more in common, so it made sense that he should have been the first option. Remus and Peter both lived in the Muggle world; that wasn't something he'd be comfortable doing. He could just Floo to James'.

Waiting for the room to empty, leaving him alone, Sirius closed his eyes before transforming back into his usual self and Flooing back to Hogsmeade - not wanting the kind family to follow him - before instantly Flooing to James' house. He didn't even think that it was the middle of the night; he knew the Potters wouldn't mind.

The one thing on his mind as Charlus Potter entered the room, his wand lowering instantly, was that one day he'd repay the family who had willingly taken him in.


	22. A Tempting Stay

**Comp:** The Houses Competition

 **House** : Hufflepuff

 **Category** : BIG Bonus Round

 **Order Position:** Third

 **Prompt** : [Action] Running away

 **Earth Representation:** Trees/Nature

 **Word Count** : 977

This is written as a five part story (Don't worry! You can read it on your own.). So, check out the other stories:

Chapter 1: A Tempting Lie (by Magi)

Chapter 2: A Tempting Offer (by Angel)

Chapter 3: This one!

Chapter 4: A Tempting Pain (by Blue)

Chapter 5: A Tempting End (by Aya)

 **Thanks for reading!**

* * *

This was truly one of the hardest decisions of Hermione's life. Leaving Ron, even for a short period of time, and her children seemed unthinkable. But as she looked at Harry, she knew that it was a valid idea.

She moved away from him and stared out of the window, watching the wind blowing the fallen leaves across the grass.

How Harry thought she could decide so quickly without going through all of the variables, and probably doing some research, was beyond her. She loved Ron, but didn't think that disappearing for a few days would solve anything.

However, the more she thought about it, the more a little 'holiday' seemed tempting. There was just one adaption she needed first; she wasn't going to leave her children.

"What did you have in mind?"

Harry looked up at her, mild surprise on his face at her acceptance. "I own a few muggle homes, a sort of… reassurance… that nobody knows about."

Hermione's eyes widened at the revelation. Though she was curious, she knew it wasn't the time to question exactly why he had them. "Any big enough for me, Rose, and Hugo?"

She watched as the togs turned in Harry's expression before nodding. It seemed that he came to the same conclusion that Hermione taking the kids with her would prevent them from seeing Ron's reaction - neither of them could work out how he would react.

* * *

Packing bags enough for two weeks for each of them, even though they were only going for a week, Hermione ensured to not take anything that would make it appear that her leaving would be permanent. She wasn't really leaving Ron, just taking the kids on a little vacation without him - though, a muggle town in Blackpool might not be what they were expecting. She did like the idea of her children being able to experience the muggle; it should at least be interesting enough for the two of them.

"Would I need my blankets?" four-year-old Hugo asked.

She smiled fondly at her youngest, who had been grinning since she came home early, letting a suspicious Gabrielle Delacour leaving early. Hermione knew she didn't have much time, she was never the type of person to get home early and let their babysitter go, even if that person was part of the family. There was no way she wouldn't tell her sister.

"No, they'll be plenty there."

Hugo nodded and ran off to his room, probably to pack another blanket.

"Come on, you two! We don't want to be late!"

"Coming, Mummy!" five-year-old Rose called back.

Hermione turned as she heard the Floo, relieved when it was just Harry. "How does this sound?" she asked him, handing over the note she was planning on leaving. She hoped it didn't sound too weak, or short. She knew that Ron wasn't much of a reader and didn't want to sugar coat it.

Harry nodded and placed it on the table. "It's fine." He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a breath. Was he going to change his mind about helping her disappear? Helping her run away? Did he know that she wasn't sure if she wanted to come back? "You best go; it's nearly lunchtime."

Deciding to not question why that time of day would be an issue, she called for her children more strictly this time and they both ran out, pulling their respective bags. Of course, them packing was just a precaution, she already had a week's packing done in her extendable bag for all of them. "We're going to Floo."

"I thought we were going to the Muggle Land, Mummy?" Rose asked confused.

"We are, but we need to Floo a little closer first."

Accepting that answer, Rose followed her mother into the fireplace, Hugo joining quickly after.

"Say bye to Uncle Harry for a little while."

"Bye, Uncle Harry!" they both chorused.

Hermione let her eyes wander over the house, the place she currently called home, before they moved to the man standing in front of her. They had known each other for over half their lives; they weren't just friends, but family. Lying to him about going to his safe house was almost unthinkable. However, she didn't want to put him in the crossfire. If she really was going to run away, she wasn't going to let any of them trace her. Hermione had a lot of things to figure out, and she refused to allow herself be distracted with the possibility of being found prematurely. With a wave of her hand, she threw the powder down and allowed the green flames to engulf her and her two children.

* * *

Hermione quickly hurdled the young children out of the way of the fireplace. "We're going to Apparate now. Take a breath."

She waited just long enough for them to follow her instructions before Disapparating them to somewhere she hadn't been in years. It was amazing seeing the trees swinging in the air, casting a shadow over the fallen leaves. This was one of the places she hadn't tainted by taking Ron and Harry during their year of hiding.

"Where are we?"

"Look! A muddy puddle!" Hugo stated seconds before he jumped straight into it with a squeal of happiness.

Rose watched Hugo for all of three seconds before running to join him, the question no longer relevant.

Hermione looked around the surrounding area she'd Apparated them to; it was a great location near the edge of a large forest. There was a large field only a ten-minute walk away as well.

"Don't go past the trees," she called, watching with satisfaction as they listened to her instant. That would keep them in the barrier she'd be putting up. She kept away Death Eaters for a long time with them, keeping away her friends and family would be much easier.

As she looked around, a smile made its way to her lips. The sound of her children's laughter mixed with the howl of the wind was music to her hears. She was tempted to simply stay here. It was at this moment that Hermione decided she wouldn't just give herself one week to decide what to do, but that she'd take her time.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**


	23. Christmas Day Goodbye

**Written for The Houses Competition!**

 **House Hufflepuff writing for the Themed Category (Goodbye)!**

 **Prompt used: Christmas**

 **Word count: 1891**

 **My amazing beta(s): EvasiveMuse, Aya Diefair**

 **Title: Christmas Day is not the best for a Goodbye**

* * *

Ginny Weasley smiled widely as she was pulled onto the couch by her brother Bill. The laughter that left her lips was genuine and contagious.

Christmas had always been a joyous occasion in the Weasley family, and even as it grew through marriage - and soon more children - it remained a good day.

Charlie had come home from Romania for three days, not giving them any explanation, not that anybody needed one. Bill had invited his pregnant wife, Fleur, to join them, only making their mother even more ecstatic. Fleurs family were invited but chose to only come for the Christmas Eve party. George seemed normalish, a few of his friends popping around throughout the day, including Angelina Johnson which had everybody teasing him. Percy had invited his longterm girlfriend Penelope Clearwater who didn't want to leave her parents on Christmas day, meaning all of the Clearwaters were invited and decided to attend. Ron had invited Harry and Hermione which didn't surprise anybody.

And that left Ginny. The one person she was tempted to invite would have caused too many problems, the main one who thought he was engaged to somebody else. But duty to family was important, Ginny understood that, even as she hid her relationship from them - they just wouldn't understand or accept the circumstances.

Putting those thoughts to the side, Ginny turned to Bill and stuck out her tongue. His hands attacked her side before she registered it causing her to let out a sharp laugh. How did he always know where she was ticklish?

"Stop! Stop!" She breathed out, barely able to control her laughing anymore. Thankfully, he ceased the friendly assault. Jabbing him in the side, she had no choice but allow him to pull her up against him in a half-hug, half-crush embrace. "Bill!"

His laughter must have been contagious because she heard Fleur, Charlie, and Hermione laugh too.

They mellowed down when the traditional clothing was handed out by her mother, everybody instantly slipping theirs on. Ginny grinned at the scarf she got - they were much better than the jumpers in her opinion.

* * *

"Hey, Gin! Help me with this!" George called after the scrumptious dinner had been consumed.

She happily skipped over with a smile on her face and followed him out of the room after him. "What'd you need help with, Georgie?"

When he turned to face her, only the two of them present, she saw him holding a serious expression. Hers sombered to match his.

"What's wrong?"

"Gin," he began, pausing as he sat down on the bench outside. Ginny was glad she was still wearing her scarf but now wished her mum had made her a jumper after all. Regardless of the cold, with the snow settling around them, she sat down beside him. "This is the first Christmas since the war."

Ginny nodded. "I know."

"The first without Freddie."

She looked down. That had been on her mind a lot lately, regardless of how many people they managed to cram into the Weasley house, there was still an undeniable presence missing. "How are you?"

George gave her a short appreciative smile. "It's hard. But I am coping. Ron just volunteered to help me keep the shop going, so… having that part of us will be refreshing. I hope." He shook his head. "But, this isn't about me, Gin. Everybody changed during the war but we always come back together no matter what. And… we'll always wait for our family members to come back."

Ginny looked at him slightly confused. "But Fr-"

"Not Freddie; I know he's gone. But I also know I'll see him again." He paused. "I mean you. Your eyes glaze over for a few seconds, few minutes, before somebody pulls you back in."

She looked down. Had she really let her mind wander so many times that George took note? Did anybody else realise? Ginny looked up at him with indecision seeping into her expression. "It can wait. It's Christmas. I'm spending it with the family."

George slung one arm over her shoulders. "And the family will be here waiting for you. Do what you have to do."

Ginny wanted to shake her head, but the thought of him being alone today flew straight back into her mind. "Thank you, Georgie," she said gratefully, hugging him. The hug lasted longer than she intended, but she just didn't want to let go so quickly. And when she did, she lingered before standing up and walking away from the house.

She was tempted to Apparate to Hogsmeade and Floo there. But then decided that it would be better to Apparate _outside_ their home and knock instead. However, by the time she got to a good Apparition spot, she ended up Apparating straight into the large dining room.

It was empty.

"Draco?" she called when nobody came. Surely he would have been notified.

After a few long seconds of silence, she began to venture out of the room. Only for a house elf to appear in front of her, making her jump out of shock.

"Master Malfoy is in the study."

"Thank you." Ginny took a breath before altering direction to the study. She was barely halfway there when Draco turned into the corridor.

"Hey."

That made her stop. She suddenly didn't know what she was supposed to say. After all, she had just turned up unannounced on Christmas Day. "Hey," she decided lamely.

Obviously, noticing her tension, he didn't approach her as he usually would have and took a sigh. "We need to talk."

No good conversation ever started like that.

* * *

Grasping her freshly made hot cocoa in one hand, Ginny kept her gaze on the man sitting opposite her. They both knew this wasn't going to be a conversation either of them wanted to have. Despite everything that had happened in the past, they had gotten close since the war, _very_ close. Most people didn't know that he had aided her during the final battle, it wasn't much, just a hex thrown at her competitor - she used to tease him about saving her life, the truth was, he very much could have; neither of them knew where that fight would have went.

It's hard to not look back and know how well they went together, _were still_ together. But the world hasn't changed quickly enough. He still had high expectations set in his, and so does she. Though her family seems all-accepting, most of them would turn their nose up at the prospect of a Weasley and a Malfoy getting together. She knew most of them would eventually warm up to him, be it in years if not longer.

Perhaps it was her who was too chicken to take the chance, perhaps it was him. Perhaps Christmas Day wasn't the time they should do this… but no day was a good day to say goodbye. It wouldn't have been Christmas Day had it not been for George. He encouraged her to go - maybe he knew that she didn't really want to.

Looking up at him, having just realised that her gaze had gone down to her drink, she saw him staring at her with a content look on his face. He definitely knew what she was thinking.

"So…" she decided to start, her voice sounding younger than she wanted. Even going through a war didn't make her strong enough to have this type of conversation, one that left her vulnerable. "Parkinson?"

Draco swallowed hard, his eyes finally flickering away from her, revealing his feelings instantly. "Greengrass."

Her brows furrowed. "Daphne?"

"Astoria." Silence filled the air between them. "A good match, according to my mother. A pure family who wasn't ripped down by The Dark Lord."

"Voldemort."

Draco's whole body visibly tensed before giving her a small nod of acknowledgement. "Tom Riddle." He didn't relax again. "He destroyed so many lives… this should help."

Ginny nodded. It was a good match. It kept his family values, pathed him a future, and Astoria was beautiful. "It would be a perfect match if you loved her."

"I can grow to love her," he said tensely.

Draco had been raised knowing that the likelihood of him being put in an arranged marriage was high. Most purebloods were raised like that. Just not her. It was no doubt that her family thought she was still completely interested in Harry, they were happy with that, Draco knew that too.

"I can't do this," Ginny decided as she stood up and practically slammed her drink onto the side, the cocoa slipping over the sides onto the counter.

"Ginny," he verbalised, standing up at the same time as her, but his mug was placed down without any mess - a small reminder of their differences - and quickly strode over to her. "Don't leave it like this…"

"Don't leave what like what?" she threw back, her voice raised. "What are we supposed to say, Draco? Thanks for the memories? Good luck with your marriage? We can still be friends?"

Draco's hand hovered over her arm but never made contact - neither of them trusted themselves right now. "Can't we?"

"What? Be friends?" Ginny questioned too harshly, the hurt in his eyes evident - something she had grown to learn. "We weren't friends before," she commented calmly, bringing her voice down to a normal level as she broke eye-contact. This was too hard. They should have just known it couldn't happen and left it at that. Leave this sort of awkward conversation to when they bumped into each other in the future.

She stepped back before looking up, putting distance between them. "Goodbye, Draco."

He nodded, holding back the feelings that were visible in his eyes. The eyes she'd see in her dreams. "Goodbye, Ginny," he parotid. As she turned away from him, ready to pretend she was happy and cheerful for her family, his words stopped him. "You'll be happier with Harry."

"I can grow to love him," she commented, remembering his words from earlier. Ginny took a breath, she wasn't about to leave without saying one last thing to him. "But there's a difference between loving somebody… and being _in love_ with them."

Without turning around, she knew she'd touch a nerve there, before the light footsteps approached her. But before he reached her, she Apparated back home.

 _Hold yourself together, Ginny. You will get over this._ She felt her knees buckle and sat down on the cold, wet grass. She felt arms around her before she registered that George had been waiting for her to come back and settled into her brother's arms.

"What happened?" he asked.

Ginny took a deep breath. "Let's just say that saying goodbye to the family tomorrow will be easier."

George set a brotherly kiss on her forehead. "Don't expect the goodbye to be all that easy - I have a plan for tomorrow."

She looked up at him with mild interest and curiosity. "Oh?"

"Let's just say that it won't be that easy to let go."

"New invention?" Ginny asked with absolute interest now. When he nodded she squealed with delight and hugged him - he hadn't invented anything new since Freddie had died. She could put aside her feelings for now and look forward to tomorrow's goodbye. Her feelings can be dealt with another time; Christmas Day was for happiness and family, that was all.


	24. A change in circumstances

**Written for The Houses Competition!**

 **House Hufflepuff writing for the Drabble Category!**

 **Prompt used: Dudley Dursley**

 **Word count: 341**

 **My amazing beta(s): EvasiveMuse; Aya Diefair**

 **Title: A change in circumstances.**

* * *

This couldn't be happening. What would his parents say? They'd never even look at his daughter again if they found out. What if they treated her badly? No! He wouldn't allow that. He was too young to understand it was wrong before but he knew better now, and so did his parents.

And he needed help.

Dudley zoned back into the conversation, looking at the witch who has come to introduce a - what did she call her? - Muggleborn into the magical wizarding world. He had his suspicions but never voiced them. If he was honest with himself, he hadn't wanted to be right.

"I can help you every step of the way," the witch said kindly, her name already forgotten.

"No," Dudley stated, receiving a sharp look from the witch, a concerned look from his wife, Elaine, and a pleading look from his daughter.

"Daddy! Please! I want to go to Hogwarts."

Dudley looked down at her. "You will. But I will not let some unknown witch take you or teach you what it means to be magical."

"Then how do you suppose about getting to Hogwarts?" the older witch asked, and Dudley was pleased he hadn't taken up her option. She thinks she knows better.

"I'll give her uncle a call."

His daughter, Jane, looked confused. She only had one uncle and he wasn't often talked about. "Uncle Harry?"

Dudley nodded. "Uncle Harry Potter." He paused as the witch stiffened - did they have a history? "He attended Hogwarts, and so does his children… or child." Now wasn't the time to admit he couldn't remember his niece and nephew's ages.

Jane jumped up. "UNCLE HARRY IS A WITCH TOO!"

"He's a wizard. I'll contact him instantly."

Now, all Dudley had to do was work out _how_ to contact his cousin. Would the witch - Ah, Professor Parkinson, that's her name! - be willing to take a message? Or are all owls magical? He really wished he had asked more questions. But one thing he knew - he would keep on trying until he succeeded.


	25. Chapter 25

**The Houses Competition; Hufflepuff!**

 **Prompt: "Books have feelings too, you know."**

 **Word count: 671 (I know it's too short, but I've run out of time. I'm a bad Hufflepuff)**

* * *

Hermione stormed out of her office. She would not put up with this stupidity from him. No longer would she put up with his ignorance. His stupid, utterly ridiculous, out of control, ignorance.

She didn't even care that everybody moved out of her way quickly as she practically flew through the corridor towards the Auror's offices. They had sense.

The door opened quickly as she pushed it, a loud bang causing most of the Aurors to jump up; all alert.

"'Mione, what brings you here?" Ron asked, approaching her.

"Not now, Ron," she uttered dismissively to her husband.

Ron gladly stepped back, a smile on his face; he must have loved to not be the one in trouble.

"How dare you!" she spoke, her voice low and strict as she approached Harry, her eyes set on his.

Harry took a breath, though she could tell it wasn't to calm himself down, but work out what to do. "Let's talk in my office."

Even though she didn't care if they were overheard, she was still a professional and walked straight into his office. When he didn't instantly come in, suspicion seeped into her core - if he even thought about running off, she'd be having more than just words with him.

However, he had enough sense to stay and walked in. She gave him time to close the door and put up a sound barrier. "Is this about..."

"You know what this is about."

"Are you sure that you're not just hor-"

"Hormonal? You think being pregnant has anything to do with that stupid law you approved?"

Harry looked guilty at her bringing that up. "It's a good thing."

"No, Harry, it's not! Children are _not_ warriors!"

"We needed to know how to fight-"

"We were in the middle of a war," Hermione interrupted. "How can you not see that _forcing_ children to learn to fight, more than the standard DADA classes, is not right?" She made a warning sound when he opened his mouth to speak. She was talking right now. "They are not soldiers, they shouldn't have to do that much training, it's too much! Sure, make DADA classes more practical, run a boot camp that 17-year-olds can attend during summer... but force thirteen-year-olds to learn complex and violent curses and hexes? Make it a compulsory subject in school? No! That's too far!"

Harry sighed, adjusting his glasses. "You don't understand, 'Mione."

Hermione took a sharp breath. "I do. I understand exactly what is going on. I also _understand_ the potential consequences of teaching children those things. Can you imagine what Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle could have done if they knew - and had to perfect - some of the hexes on your list? I'm not sure if I would be here today. Some of them are deadly-"

It was Harry's turn to interrupt her. "I didn't include unforgivable curses."

"Those aren't the only deadly ones. Seriously injuring somebody... like what you did to Malfoy in sixth year? That could be more of a reality when our children go to school." She placed a hand on her stomach. "If you make Hogwarts a dangerous place, my children will _not_ be attending it."

Harry's mouth dropped open and became speechless.

Hermione turned on her heels and strode out of his office.

"Hey, 'Mione," Ron greeted with a smile. Throwing a book onto his desk.

Hermione watched with shock as it fell onto the floor. "Books have feelings too, you know!" she shouted. Once again, most of the occupants of the room turned their attention to her.

"'Mione. I-" Ron stuttered before quickly picking up the book and then approaching her. "Sorry."

She shook her head and took a deep breath. "No. It's fine. Just... books don't deserve to be thrown, okay?"

Ron nodded obediently, still looking shocked. "Love you..."

"Love you too. See you at home." Without another word to anybody, she walked straight out of the room and headed to get something to eat; she was starving!


End file.
